Migration Health

Highlights • Discusses health disparities among Hispanics.• Compares health outcomes between homeless and non-homeless populations.• Compares self-reported health data and measurements of blood pressure.• Examines the Hispanic Health Paradox.• Housing status is significantly associated with health care access among Hispanics.

A globalised and ever more mobile world compounds the spatial dynamics between distant places and accelerates the geographical spread of disease to a planetary scale. Simultaneously, the geographical  and  social-cultural  diversity  of  the  population  in regions that attract large numbers of immigrants reflects both the  appearance  or  increase  of  new  diseases  and  also  the  diverse health practices of the population. As result, the relationship  between  health  and  immigration  has  gained  importance in the concerns of national and international political decision makers,  and  the  painstaking  processes  of  immigrant  integration in host territories. 
In light of the above mentioned problems this article analyses, primarily  the  conditions  of  accessing  health  services  for  resident immigrants in Portugal, in A European Union context. This is followed by a discussion of the relationship between health and social exclusion of immigrants and ethnic minorities of African origin which is based upon a case study carried out in a re-housing borough in a northern district of Lisbon within the area of  intervention  of  an  urbanization  plan  in  Alto  Lumiar  (PUAL). Finally, some conclusions and policy recommendations are put forward.

"Background: Since the 1970s, Norway has experienced a significant increase in population diversity. In 2001, a patient-list system, also referred to as the General Practitioner (GP) Scheme (Norwegian: Fastlegeordning), was introduced to ensure access to primary health care for the entire population. At the time of its introduction, the scheme, which was designed for a homogenous population, was intended to improve the quality of GP services. By facilitating stability and continuity in the doctor-patient relationship, the scheme aimed to ensure equitable access to, and use of, secondary health care. Despite the intention to facilitate stable doctor-patient relationships, employees in health care facilities report that many immigrants use the emergency room rather than GP services. Equity in health care is the absence of systematic disparities in health care. Since the provision of equitable health services is a priority in Norway, this study aimed to investigate the possible motives for immigrants’ choice of service provider and to propose measures to increase the uptake of GP services by this group.
Purpose and approach: The aim of the article is to examine newly arrived immigrants' experiences with primary health care. The article attempts to shed light on why immigrants seek medical help at the emergency room and not from their assigned GPs in non-life-threatening situations.
Methods and materials: We adopted an exploratory approach in order to investigate both the motives and experiences of diverse groups of immigrants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 Oslo GPs and 13 immigrant representatives, all living in Oslo. To illustrate patterns on a large scale, we adopted a quantitative approach based on data from health authorities’ registers of consultations. 1,935,000 primary health care consultations conducted in the Greater Oslo area over a two-year period were included in the regression analyses.
Results and interpretation: The study shows a varied pattern of use of GP services among the diverse groups of foreign-born residents. Results suggest that immigrants are more likely to use emergency-room services during the first few years after arrival. Results also indicate that information about the patient-list system does not always reach newly arrived immigrants. Contrary to general understanding, non-visible immigrants (when considering factors such as skin color and clothing) diverge the most from the pattern of the majority. Immigrants originating from European countries, such as Sweden and Poland, use the emergency room most frequently. From the qualitative aspects of the study, we have also found that primary health care services are not perceived as equitable.
Conclusion: Recently arrived immigrants’ utilization of primary health care services shows an unfavorable pattern. The choice of primary health care service providers is dependent on the individual’s preferences, expectations, experiences and/or actual obstacles. The observed utilization of services provided at emergency rooms is one more reason for monitoring and increasing tolerance and cultural sensitivity in primary health care.
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Using the 2001 Census data, this paper analyses district‐level rural‐to‐urban migration rates (both intra‐state and inter‐state) among males and females separately. Though many of the relatively poor and backward states actually show large population mobility, male migration is also prominent in the relatively high‐income states. Rural women, on the other hand, usually migrate within the boundaries of the states. The social networks effects are prevalent among the short‐distance migrants, and the North/South divide in the Indian context is indeed a significant phenomenon, with the exception of a few metropolitan cities. Looking at the effect of factors at the place of destination, prospects for better job opportunities are a major determinant of male migration. Low castes, minority groups and women show network effects. The paper finally brings out the effect of migration on health.

Highlights • The conditions of refugee living make distancing an impractical COVID-19 protection measure.• Refugees are increasingly susceptible to the biological and socioeconomic effects of COVID-19, due to the decreased ability to practice distancing measures.• We suggest an interdisciplinary framework, based on biosocial perspectives on health, to guide more relevant COVID-19 responses in refugee communities.• Intervention and protection measures should consider the political, material, spatial, physiological, psychological and sociocultural dimensions of refugee vulnerability to mitigate decreased distancing abilities in settings of refugee life.